Little Lane crossing
At one time there were five level crossings in Steventon. Two – long closed now - were for the exclusive use of Manor Farm; the current two – Stocks Lane and Causeway – and a pedestrian crossing along Little Lane, that runs between 85 and 87 The Causeway. This crossing required climbing a stile and up to the track before looking to see if it was safe to cross at a slight angle to the other side.
When the fast 125 trains were introduced by British Rail in the 1970s there was a review on the safety of some level crossings on the main lines – despite BR assurances that this would not happen. After much debate locally, and argument over who had the legal power to stop the crossing, a public enquiry recommended the closure of the crossing as it was little used and considered dangerous, saying ‘the majority of the population do not need to walk across the railway’. The Secretary of State, Michael Heseltine, took the view that this suggested that some people did have to cross the line and so decided not to accept the recommendation forcing British Rail to include the closure of the crossing by including it in their Annual Parliamentary Bill.
At one point it was proposed that a footbridge could replace the crossing but this was rejected as the cost was prohibitive for such a rarely used path. The cost? £17000! Incidentally at the beginning of the 20th century one of the school activities was beekeeping, with the hives kept at South View Cottage in Little Lane.
The stile at Little Lane pedestrian crossing
